Two of the functions of the American correctional system are punishment and rehabilitation. Black's Law Dictionary describes punishment as follows: "Any pain, penalty, suffering or imprisonment inflicted on a person by the authority of law and the judgment and sentence of a court, for any crime or misdemeanor committed by him , or for his omission of a duty recognized by law". In recent years we have virtually eliminated the pain and suffering contained in this definition. We have now come to regard punishment as the punishment and imprisonment that the one suffers for committing a crime. They define rehabilitation as: "restoring something to normal or near-normal capabilities after a disabling event has occurred. In this context, the person we are trying to restore is the person." When we send someone to rehabilitation, we are trying to return them to normal or non-criminal capacity. This article will clarify three questions regarding this topic. 1) How does the correctional system punish offenders? 2) How does the correctional system rehabilitate offenders? 3) Which method is most effective in reducing crime? How we, as members of the court, punish criminals depends on the circumstances of each case. State-level crimes are prosecuted by the state's district attorney because they are considered crimes against society. Penalties for these crimes are governed by state law. In Maine, this law is called Title 17-A: Maine Penal Code and separates crimes into the following categories: Murder, Classes A, B, C, D, E, and Misdemeanors. Murder and class A, B and C felonies are heard in state superior court. While Class D, E and misdemeanors are heard in the District Court. According to title 17-A murder is punishable by incarceration... middle of paper ......eles: SAGE 2009.eBook, data: eBook Collection: found at http://ehis.ebscohost.com. lib.kaplan.edu/eds/results?sid=4074fdc5-0c13-46ba-b18a- 1db5ffc81986%40sessionmgr112&vid=1&hid=106&bquery=criminal+rehabilitation&bd ata=JmNsaTA9RlQmY2x2MD1ZJnR5cGU9MCZzaXRlPW kcy1saXZl Maine Judicial Branch: Criminal Case, available at http ://www. courts.state.me.us/maine_courts/district/crimial.htmlSchmalleger, Frank J. Criminal Justice Today: An Introductory Text for the 21st Century, 11/e VitalSource eBook for Kaplan University. Pearson Learning Solutions. VitalBook file. United States Sentencing Committee, 2013 USSG Guideline Manual, Chapter One - Introduction, Authority and General Principles of Application, Part B - General Principles of Application, S1B1.9, Class B or C, Misdemeanors and Offenses : found at http://www.ussc.gov/Guidelines/2013_Guidelines/index.cfm